Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging (also called nuclear medicine or nuclear imaging) can image the function of cells inside the body at the molecular level. This includes the imaging modalities of positron emission computed tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. How does PET and SPECT imaging work? Small amounts of radioactive material (radiopharmaceuticals) injected into a patient. These can use sugars or chemical traits to bond to specific cells. The radioactive material is taken up by cells that consume the sugars. The radiation emitted from inside the body is detected by photon detectors outside the body. Computers take the data to assemble images of the radiation emissions. Nuclear images may appear fuzzy or ghostly rather than the sharper resolution from MRI and CT.  But, it provides metabolic information at a cellular level, showing if there are defects in the function of the heart, areas of very high metabolic activity associated with cancer cells, or areas of inflammation, data not available from other modalities. These noninvasive imaging exams are used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, bone disorders and other disorders. 

Medical isotope shortage looms as 'unplanned' outage halts Mo-99, Lu-177 production

The root cause of the problem has not yet been discovered, halting isotope production for an undisclosed amount of time, according to SNMMI.

January 26, 2022

PSMA-PET validates commonly used system measuring risk of prostate cancer recurrence

"The accuracy of PSMA-PET is essential to improve stratification and potentially outcomes both in low-risk and high-risk settings,” a doctor involved in the study explained in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

January 21, 2022
SNMMI images of unusual imaging pattern observed on FDG PET/CT or FDG PET/MR that may be due to Omicron COVID-19 infection. Unlike the FDG PET/CT pattern seen with infections from previous strains of COVID-19, with principal involvement of the lungs, this new array of findings is primarily centered in the upper aerodigestive tract and cervical lymph nodes. What does omnicron COVID look like in medical imaging?

Unusual pattern on PET/CT may indicate COVID omicron variant

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging offered up a handful of tips to help providers who encounter such findings.

January 14, 2022
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has issued a new statement urging the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) to rethink its maintenance of certification (MOC) policies. The organization, home to more than 4,500 interventional cardiologists, says some of its members have seen their privileges “threatened and even revoked” despite passing the necessary exams and reporting procedural volumes as required. Stamp | Certification

FDA approves Telix’s prostate cancer imaging product, improving access to PSMA-PET

The company said it can provide its toolkit for preparing gallium-68 to more than 85% of eligible PET imaging sites within its large network of U.S. nuclear pharmacies.

December 20, 2021
scan of prostate

PSMA PET/CT better detects prostate cancer spread, long-term outcomes over conventional imaging

While the results offer indirect evidence, UCLA researchers said they support the clinical use of this technique for initial patient assessment.

December 13, 2021
Researchers found the reason radiation and anthracyclines in some patients causes cardio toxicity may be due to the cGAS–STING pathway. This holds great potential as a treatment to prevent cardiac complications of DNA-damaging cancer treatments in new cardio-oncology research. Pathology Laboratory

Texas A&M University to lead isotope R&D trainee program with $2 million grant

Of the 17 institutions collaborating on the project, eight are minority-serving organizations.

December 7, 2021

NorthStar will buy accelerator to produce ‘highly limited’ cancer radioisotope

Actinium-225 is a therapeutic radioisotope used to deliver targeted radiation that kills cancer cells.

November 18, 2021
Covid Mask

Long-COVID patients show no brain dysfunction on PET scans, suggesting fatigue as main culprit

Many report cognitive ailments—such as brain fog and memory loss—well after recovering from the virus, but their causes have remained a mystery.

November 8, 2021

Around the web

The newly approved AI models are designed to improve the detection of pulmonary embolisms and strokes in patients who undergo CT scans.

"I see, at least for the next decade, this being a SPECT and PET world, not one or the other," explained Tim Bateman, MD.

The FDA-approved technology developed by HeartFlow can predict a patient's long-term risk of target vessel failure as well as more invasive treatments performed inside a cath lab. 

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup